SHORT BIO

The HazyShade Trio unites the musical forces of Kirsten “Haze” Hazler on acoustic guitar and vocals, John Dacey on upright bass and vocals, and Doug Austin on mandolin, fiddle, acoustic guitar, and backing vocals.  Ignoring strict genre boundaries, they serve up an unconventional mix of original music and offbeat covers, ranging from raucous folk-punk to light-hearted acoustic pop, and from sassy alt-country to sultry swing. Influences include Alison Krauss & Robert Plant, Joni Mitchell, Eliza Gilkyson, Railroad Earth, and Poor Man's Poison.

MEDIUM BIO

The HazyShade Trio unites the musical forces of Kirsten “Haze” Hazler on acoustic guitar and vocals, John Dacey on upright bass and vocals, and Doug Austin on mandolin, fiddle, acoustic guitar, and backing vocals.  Ignoring strict genre boundaries, they serve up an unconventional mix of original music and offbeat covers, ranging from raucous folk-punk to light-hearted acoustic pop, and from sassy alt-country to sultry swing. Influences include Alison Krauss & Robert Plant, Joni Mitchell, Eliza Gilkyson, Railroad Earth, and Poor Man's Poison.

Formerly known as the Haze & Dacey Trio, the ensemble's sound is grounded in the earthy acoustic vibe of the indie-folk duo Haze & Dacey, often veering toward bluegrass with the addition of multi-instrumentalist Austin's virtuosic leads. Haze & Dacey have been playing throughout Virginia and beyond since 2012, and were first introduced to Austin about a year later at a restaurant gig in small town Mathews, Virginia. Five years after that, having long admired Austin's musical prowess in the Tin Can Fish Band, the duo asked him to sit in with them for a performance in 2018, and the trio was born.

In early 2019, Haze began writing songs inspired by The Handmaid's Tale, both the original novel by Margaret Atwood and the Hulu television series of the same name. Dacey, Austin, and several other musicians helped Haze realize her vision for this collection of songs. The pandemic delayed recording, but the album Letters from Gilead was released on November 12, 2021 with a concert at the Richmond Music Hall. A track on that album, Under His Eye, garnered an honorable mention in the 2022 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest.